Please recommend: auto first aid kit

In My Humble Opinion
21

I second the recommendation of a wilderness first aid class. They teach a lot of actual first aid, including how to recognize if someone needs help. The red cross “first aid” class just teaches cpr, the Heimlich maneuver, and how to call 911. Those are all useful, but other than “call 911” unlikely to come up while driving.

I also think the major trauma stuff is unlikely to be useful unless you have major training. Get first aid equipment commensurate with the likely use. In a car, that’s a cell phone (you DO want to call 911) something to warn away other vehicles, some stuff to staunch bleeding and maybe the makings of a simple splint.

22

Does the daughter want to take these classes or carry this stuff in her car? If she’s enthusiastic about it, let her put the kit together herself.

23

I haven’t seen a commercial kit that I really liked, but have not spent much time looking for one. The suggestions from others are good, and what you need depends on both your training and the probability of encountering situations, as well as portability, cost and the ability to get and use items. This list is more extensive and may not apply to most people.

If you have the skills, there may be merit to a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, thermometer in necessary range, blood sugar monitor, flashlight for eye and mouth exams and darkness, oxygen saturation monitor and, much less importantly, ability to record a rhythm strip or an ophthalmoscope. A handheld ultrasound is much pricier and requires much more skill, one is unlikely to need it without professional experience.

Assuming physical injuries are common, it makes sense to have (if you know how to use) gauze, bandages, tourniquets, splints, plaster with foam roll, an LMA, tongue depressors, something to measure general pH, a compact medical text, possibly syringes (depending on medications), stuff like cotton for cleaning, disinfectants, sutures and a disposable suture kit or scissors, tweezers and clamps, a ruler and phone with camera and communication abilities, plastic bags, gloves, mask, blanket, (and for car use) traffic cone, signal flares, shovel, whistle, and stuff for snow and ice if relevant. Ambulances carry cervical collars and backboards, but these things are likely beyond what most need or know how to use. Things for boats might differ and include other rescue equipment.

Medications may be helpful. Basic stuff includes sugar packets, antihistamine, antibiotic ointment, sterile disinfectant, pain medicines including aspirin, medicines for nausea and vomiting (preferably in both pill and suppository form, but pills can be used in that way too), a small bottle of booze, and medicines specific to needs. Prescription stuff may include (with training) local anesthetic, anxiolytics, antibiotics, stronger pain medicines, prednisone, salbutamol puffer, epinephrine, naloxone, medicines specific to mountain climbing/diving/antidotes/oxygen as relevant, medicines specific to you and your companions, possibly other things such as airway adjuncts and heart and other medications with specific need and training. Ipecac is out of fashion, I doubt I would include it.

I don’t want to get into recent basic life support protocols, but believe rescue breathing can be helpful. I wouldn’t carry a specific mask for it, and might not use it in certain cases. The fact it is a mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide does not mean it can’t be helpful or mixed with compressions. But in practice things like amount of available help, patient and situation specifics, and time to get help certainly might make it more or less useful, and out-of-hospital resuscitations do not always go well.

24

And that’s probably the best advice of all. Base the decision on the room available and the perceived benefit.

In the end a lot of these decisions are influenced by our experiences, and even the ILCOR and AHA guidelines usually have a small-print passage somewhere that state they’re not meant to substitute for the judgment of an experienced clinician.

In my case, I always find room in a kit for this bit of personal protective equipment, simply because I know if I don’t I will end up putting my lips on someone I have not been formally introduced to. (And I’m too old for that sort of yuckiness.)

25

Goodness !

I would kill to have a kit like that, but it’s probably more appropriate for a Wilderness ALS provider or a primitive field hospital. I’m assuming that Sitnam’s daughter is young and just beginning to drive. (Is that correct, Sitnam?) I’m also assuming she has little medical training, or she would be stocking her own kit.

That points up the value of the advice given by several above: training to provide first aid is way more valuable than even a wonderful first aid kit in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to provide first aid.

If she’s interested, or at least willing, Sitnam’s daughter would benefit greatly from a first aid, first responder or even EMT course.

26

My list is beyond the needs of most, but I reasoned plenty of good advice has already been given. It is easier to think an item on a list is unnecessary or excessive, then it is to think of the item given a less complete list. I didn’t include burn cream or lots of stuff one might use in an emergency department. I don’t carry all the items on my list in my kits.

I’d put a hole in a regular mask if I thought I needed a barrier. Acrylic glues can make a portable alternative to suture kits, but are less useful and still require skill to use. Tape and Q-tips can be helpful. Gauze can substitute for an eyepatch. One of our local Canadian dollar stores carries elastic, non-stick fabric rolls that sticks to itself, and is similar but much cheaper than Kerlix.

I have been asked to assist airline passengers in flight on four occasions. Their basic kit has much fewer things than my list. They do have lorazepam and Tylenol with codeine. I reduced some guys dislocated shoulder using that, a seatbelt and a small bottle of booze. (“Drink this…”).

27

I just want to remind all that cars are particularly inhospitable environments, getting up to 140°+in summer in a closed car &/or well below freezing overnight while parked outside in the winter. You can’t just throw a first aid kit in your car & expect it to be perfect for use in 5 (or more) years down the road. Even Band-Aids may not stick on a simple cut after so long. Burn gels, pills, & the like may be dried up/out & be totally useless after a prolonged period of temperature extremes. That being said, Narcan could be a good addition to a first aid kit…as long as it’s checked / replenished on a regular basis. Where you live (desert SW vs. Canadian winters) & how you keep your car (garage?) factors in to that equation

28

If your daughter has any allergies or needs regular medication, a small supply of the appropriate meds would be a good idea.

Getting some first aid training (and keeping it current) is a good idea for anyone. You should also be sure that she knows how to check fluids, air pressures &etc. maybe even change a wheel.

What she needs in her car will also depend on where she does her driving. If it’s mostly in built-up areas, it can be pretty minimal: Treatment for cuts, stings and minor injuries is probably sufficient. If she goes out into the Boondocks, then maybe a more comprehensive kit would be required.

I read somewhere that most vehicle fire extinguishers are used on other people’s fires. It makes sense - you see a car on fire and stop to help. If you have one in the car, it’s important to follow the instructions about keeping it up to date. They can lose pressure etc, over time.

29

Fwiw, i need regular medication, and i don’t keep it in the car because it wouldn’t keep very long stored in the car. Cars get very hot, and my medications aren’t terribly shelf-stable.

I do keep a few spare pills in my computer bag and my backpack and my overnight kit, because those aren’t subjected to the temperature extremes cars experience, so they’ll keep long enough that it’s useful.

30

The absolute essential for an auto emergency kit is a good cellphone charger and a working phone to call 911, which can dispatch trained EMTs.

31

I will have that too. I guess here I am looking for things I might need while I watch someone bleed out on the side of the road waiting for those guys to arrive.

ETA: though that above advice is also, “tell me you don’t live near wilderness without telling me you don’t live near wilderness.”